Roger Federer will not feature in a Grand Slam final in the same calendar year for the first time since 2002, after he was knocked out of the U.S. Open by Spain's Tommy Robredo.

The winner of 17 Grand Slam titles, including five in New York, suffered a straight sets defeat in his fourth round match at Flushing Meadows, losing 7-6 (7/3) 6-3 6-4 late Monday.

The defeat denied the Swiss star, arguably the finest player to have played the game, a quarter-final showdown with long-time nemesis Rafael Nadal, after the in-form Spanish star beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3 6-1.

Robredo had never beaten Federer before their latest rain-delayed encounter on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court. But with 43 unforced errors to his name and only two break points converted from 16, the former world number one looked unlikely to extend that run.

"I'm going to feel like I beat myself," Federer told reporters after the match. "It was up to me to make the difference and I just couldn't.